This invention relates to space dividing wall panels of the open-office plan type, and more particularly, to a wall panel which can serve both as a tackable surface as well as a sound absorptive panel.
As use of the open-office plan, employing space dividing wall panels, becomes more prevalent, it is readily apparent that acoustic performance of the panels in terms of sound absorption is becoming more important as a major selling factor as well as an architectural requirement. Integral bulletin boards or tackable surfaces are also a dominant feature of many space dividing wall panel systems. Unfortunately, sound absorption characteristics and the ability to maintain performance as a tackable surface over long periods of time are concepts which are diametrically opposed considering the present state of the art. Most available tackable boards or panels provide the very worst sound absorption characteristics because the tackable facing is almost always hard and highly reflective to sound which results in a reflective sound wave almost equally as intense as the incident sound wave. The soft surface panel which is in much use today usually employs a fiberglass or similar sound absorbing material with a cloth covering and is quite unacceptable as a tackable board or panel because its structural strength and life expectancy are damaged significantly by the pin portions of the tacks. One attempt to solve this problem employs sound absorptive material, usually fiberglass, pressed to a high density and inserted behind the cover cloth. The results are somewhat satisfactory but the material is more brittle and subject to surface contact damage, is more expensive to produce, and unsatisfactory as a sound absorptive medium at the higher frequencies. Accordingly, providing a combination of good sound absorption performance in a tackable panel is highly desirable.